As part of the East Texas A Cappella Celebration, area singers, vocal ensembles and music enthusiasts are invited to participate in an exclusive vocal workshop conducted by the Swingle Singers. The workshop will be held at Liberty Hall from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M., Saturday, March 31, with lunch provided. This interactive session will include a behind-the-scenes peek at how the Swingle Singers do what they do, various vocal techniques including ensemble singing, vocal percussion, and improvisation and an open master class with MacArthur High School’s PFC. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and learn from the masters! The cost is $20 per adult or $10 per student. A maximum group rate of $200 is available upon request. For more information, please contact us. Keep reading for payment options.

Fill out the following form to reserve your spot at the workshop. (After you click “Add to Cart,” you can update your quantity, if needed. If you need to add both Adult and Student reservations, add the Adults first and then click Continue Shopping. That will bring you back to this page, where you can add the Students.)

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Adult $20.00 USD Student $10.00 USD

Clearly Vocal and the City of Tyler present the fourth-annual East Texas A Cappella Celebration, featuring multiple Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble, the Swingle Singers from London, England. The unique event will be held at 8 P.M., Saturday, March 31, 2012, at the newly-renovated Liberty Hall in downtown Tyler. Tickets are on sale at www.libertytyler.com — $30 online and $35 at the door. A limited number of tickets are available, so reserve your seats now. Clearly Vocal, award-winning a cappella vocal jazz group from Tyler, will host the event. In addition, 2011 champions of the International Competition of High School A Cappella, PFC from Douglas MacArthur High School in San Antonio, will make a special appearance.

The London-based Swingle Singers are legendary in the world of a cappella. Their extensive repertoire encompasses Pop, Rock, Jazz, Latin and Classical styles and all sounds are made using only the human voice. With five Grammy Awards and over fifty recordings, the group has set the standard of vocal agility while pushing the boundaries of musical innovation for over four decades. Today’s incarnation of Swingle Singers are young, sexy and unbelievably talented – and are committed to bringing the versatile world of a cappella to the masses. Don’t miss their stunning music video, Libertango, on YouTube.

Download the flyer (PDF, 436k)

As part of the East Texas A Cappella Celebration, the Swingle Singers will present a workshop earlier in the day on March 31 for area singers and vocal ensembles. Click here for more details.

We are in need of sponsors to help support this one-of-a-kind, community event. If you are interested or for more information, please contact us here or call (903) 312-9903. Liberty Hall is a non-profit organization and gifts are tax deductible.

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The concert seemed meant to be from the beginning. We purchased our tickets, believing that even if we were called for a gig that night, it would be just as beneficial (if not more!) to see TMT as the money for the potential gig. CV already had a busy holiday schedule lined up, but that one night remained open! We were also able to upgrade our seats to the front row of the balcony the day of the concert! Plus, we had been given permission to go back stage after the concert to meet them! Talk about being excited!

We got to Lufkin early to enjoy a nice meal at Ralph & Kacoos before heading over to the Temple Theater on the Angelina College campus. What a beautiful venue! We took our new fabulous seats and eagerly awaited the beginning of the show.

The stage was decorated with poinsettias and Christmas wreaths loaned by the local Sam’s Club. The orchestra was tuning and looking so impressive, as was TMT band. And then … there they were! Walking out on stage! The Manhattan Transfer! Right before our eyes! Having listened to their music all of my growing-up years, it was so cool to see them performing.

Cheryl Bentyne, their soprano, isn’t able to do their holiday tour this year due to her having surgery recently. Margaret Dorn filled in nicely for her. After the show, Janice Siegel (alto) told us that Margaret learned their entire show in just ten days! Very cool.

They opened with their famous “Happy Holidays” and also sang favorites like “Route 66,” “Birdland,” “Let It Snow,” and for their encore, “Choo Choo Cha Boogie.” They are such classy entertainers and perform with seasoned ease.

After the show, we headed back stage, as were told to do. Thankfully, the Associate Director of the Angelina Arts Alliance met us and knew we were coming. We waited like nervous school kids for them to come out of the dressing room. And then … there they were! Right there! And we were shaking their hands and gushing about the show and asking Janice to teach me how she does her muted trumpet and being the biggest nerdy TMT fans imaginable. And loving every second of it.

We told them that we do their version of Java Jive, except that we do it a cappella. Paul (baritone) said, “Why don’t you sing it for us?” I couldn’t help but ask, “Will you sing it with us? That would be a huge honor for us!” And they did. All the way down to the classic Tim Hauser “yeah.” SO. VERY. COOL.

After the coolest Java Jive ever, we got a picture to prove that all this really happened, and we got their autographs to frame and love and hold and cherish forever. Thanks so much to Janice, Tim and Paul for being gracious enough to visit with us after a long day of travel and an outstanding performance!

Dreams really do come true!

Clearly Vocal backstage with The Manhattan Transfer